Salvation: ReBirth
by Shipperwolf
Summary: My take on the events immediately following the end of the fourth film. Will eventually focus on the slow development of Chris/Alice's relatonship. Genres may not be noticable until later chapters
1. Chapter 1

Just a forwarning folks...I'm not used to writing action sequences. So trying to take on the battle set up at the end of RE:A...seems impossible.

But I'm going to try.

This isn't necessarily meant to be my take on the 5th movie...more like a set up for some development in the relationship between Alice and Chris. I don't know...maybe it's a combination of the two :P

Anyway, I don't own RE of course, and I hope my attempt at drama/action doesn't disappoint!

* * *

They were coming….

Things happened so fast that Alice had to blink several times to convince herself that life was not moving in slow-motion. As the dozens of Umbrella helicopters closed in on the Arcadia, she flinched slightly when Chris's voice called out into the crowd on deck:

"Everyone back into the ship, now! Go…..GO!"

Her eyes softened in sympathy; these people had just been freed from the tyrannical corporation's grip, and now their hopes, so short-lived, were crushed. Amidst the screams of panic, she picked up several sobs and sighs of hopelessness….they were defeated. White shirts flashed past her, back into the haven of their former prison.

The air was suddenly violent; wind whipping her hair into a tangled frenzy, Alice could just barely make out the sight of the lead chopper preparing to touch down in the center of Arcadia. The others were for the most part stationary, some circling the clearly doomed ship of apocalyptic refugees.

Claire was pulling fiercely at K-Mart's arm, practically dragging the frightened girl toward the hall they had only just emerged from. Chris fingered a gun in his right hand, and glanced in her direction.

"Alice, this isn't going to end well. But we can at least go down fighting, right?"

The man was blunt. But realistic.

She didn't think they stood a chance either. If Umbrella wanted them all dead….

Then this would be her last day on this damned earth.

Her ears rang with the almost deafening noise emitted by the helicopter as it made its landing only a few feet away. The engines were cut. The noise died down, the wind settled.

A woman with blond hair and a very familiar metallic device attached to her chest stepped down from the chopper and strode toward them, motioning behind her for the six or seven armed soldiers to wait where they stood.

As she approached, Alice tilted her to one side, a realization hitting her. She knew the woman…Jill. Her name was Jill Valentine. Alice eyed the device on her chest.

Jill probably did not remember her, however. And even if she did….her memories were most likely distorted by whatever lies and fantasies Umbrella had been feeding her.

Chris stepped forward quickly, almost startling her.

"Jill? What are you doing?"

The woman only smiled in response.

Alice blinked, confused.

"You know her too?"

He looked at Alice.

"YOU know her?"

Jill released a chuckle.

"Small world, isn't it? Project Alice, Umbrella has deemed you a dangerous threat to its operations. We are giving you one chance to surrender yourself, your friends, and our experimental subjects to us, and all of this will end with minimal bloodshed. Resist us, and everyone on this ship will die. Will you comply?"

Alice's jaw set at the nearly robotic tone in Jill's voice. She wasn't lying, and Alice knew it. They could all die. And yet…..a irresistible feeling of rebellion overcame her, and before she could stop, she said it:

"Go to hell."

She did not miss the smirk on Chris's face at her words.

Jill motioned again, and the soldiers fanned out around them.

"Alice, we are aware of the serum injected into your system. You are no longer a physical threat to us. You're human…just as weak and helpless as the people hiding beneath our feet as we speak. Do not make such a rash decision. It will only end in death. I will ask only once more….will you comply?"

Alice looked down. Yes…..the people hiding in the bowels of the ship….their fates were in her hands. But what would be a more acceptable fate for them? To die, right now….or return to their non-existence as Umbrella experiments? Did she even have the right to make such a decision?

She had apparently thought it over too long for Jill's liking.

The blond spoke into the headset at her ear.

And the helicopters began moving again…..getting closer.

"I'm sorry, Alice. The order was clear. If you resisted, you die. All of you do.

Chris lifted his pistol.

"Not before you, Jill."

And before Alice could yell at him to stop, he fired.

With nearly inhuman speed, Jill jerked to the side, dodging the carefully aimed bullet.

Everything seemed to slow down again.

Alice watched as the soldiers behind Jill raised their weapons.

She watched as the choppers took strategic positions, some armed with guns, some with ship-sinking missiles. She watched, and desperation threatened to overcome her.

And then she felt it….

The familiar feeling of every one of senses sharpening.

The dizzy feeling swimming about in her head.

Her heart rate increasing, her breathing likewise slowing down.

She couldn't believe it….

One of the soldiers fired at Chris.

And Alice snapped.


	2. Chapter 2

Okayyy chapter 2! This one is in Chris's POV. It's considerably shorter than the last...but if any of you out there read any of my other stories, you'll notice it's a terrible trend of mine. I hope it doesnt become frustrating to anyone!

Be honest and give pointers or plot bunnies if you'd like! Thankees!-Nikki

* * *

The first thing Chris Redfield noticed was the hot pain that immediately followed the sound of the gunshot. Instinctively, he dropped his weapon to reach up and grasp his left shoulder as it bled.

He knew that all Umbrella soldiers were well trained marksmen. This one missed the intended target (which he could only guess was his heart) for a reason.

That was when he felt the floor of the ship trembling, and an odd feeling of nausea overtook him. He looked up from his sprawled back position on the floor, and saw something he simply could not believe:

Everything not tied down on the ship's deck was floating. Jill's hair was literally standing on end. The very air around him permeated with what felt like static electricity.

He looked at the woman he now understood to be the cause of the strange phenomena.

Alice stood just beside him; legs spread slightly apart, fists balled at her sides….she was protecting him. His eyes grew wide, and his mouth fell open. He didn't know how she came to be this way, but Alice was not human.

She couldn't be.

As he looked at her face he saw her eyes narrow. Her breathing was deep and slow. And then her pupils dilated.

He covered his ears as a sound akin to a sonic boom deafened him.

What happened next happened in sequence…because Alice wanted it to.

Jill was thrown violently (but not fatally) to the side of the ship by an unseen force, out of the way of the oncoming blast.

The soldiers behind her…not so lucky.

All at once they were tossed backwards, off the edge of the deck, and into the ocean. The helicopter they'd landed in went with them with a metallic groan.

As the telekinetic shockwave continued forth, the choppers surrounding the ship began to falter. One by one, they lost control. Some tilted to the side, some collided with each other, but most simply stopped working, and fell straight down into the dark water beneath.

The sound of grinding metal and splashing filled the air. Waves lifted and lowered the Arcadia and Chris did not know if it was due to the numerous crashing copters filling the sea or Alice's strange power manipulating the wind.

He briefly looked down at his hand, watching the blood drip from his fingers. He was bleeding pretty badly, but it could have been a lot worse. He felt the need to get up….to get Alice's attention. So far, she had not stopped her assault. Even the helicopters farthest away, the ones trying to retreat, were now falling.

He managed to reach up and grasp her wrist.

Her head snapped down and he felt nauseous again.

"Alice!" Her name from his lips made her blink several times, and her pupils retracted.

Her chest heaved as she seemed to hyperventilate with shock.

"Chris? What….did I just?..."

"Destroy an entire fleet of attack helicopters with your brain? Yeah….I think you did."

Footsteps sounded behind them, and a hand landed on his uninjured shoulder. Dark red hair fell into his face as Claire bent down at him.

"Chris? Jesus, you're bleeding like hell."

He fought the urge to roll his eyes. His sister certainly knew how to make him feel better…

She helped him up, and he saw Alice eye his wound. He mustered a half-hearted grin at the woman that had just saved him.

"It's not as bad as it looks."

A few steps back toward the tunnel, and his vision began to blur.

Alice's shout to "catch him" was the last thing he heard before everything went black.


	3. Chapter 3

Alrighty, amidst an increasingly large pile-up of schoolwork, I MADE myself write chapter 3...although this is more like a half-of-a-chapter 3 lol!

I warned you guys about the short chapters, and I wasnt exaggerating ;)

I stopped where I did in this chapter in order to include a punch of humor that I felt the story needed. And I felt it was a good place to end Chris's POV. I will most probably pick up Alice in ch 4. This story is slow to progress, I know, and I apologize. But I LOVE doing things like this-little snippits of experiences with the characters.

Ok, I'm sure didn't click on this to read my babbling, so please, ignore me and move on to the story! (Seriously...STOP reading the Author's Note already!) ;)

* * *

Consciousness greeted Chris in the form of an agonizing headache a mere few minutes after passing out. He was dimly aware of his feet scraping the floor as he was dragged down an overly-lit corridor. The blinding white only exacerbated the painful throbbing in his temples. With each stinging pulse his consciousness threatened to falter.

Voices echoed around him, though he could not shake the fog from his mind long enough to comprehend the conversation. He was aware of the strong arms that supported him, carefully avoiding his injured (not to mention burning) shoulder.

He forced himself to crack open an eye.

A burly-looking man, dressed in the familiar white shared by the released captives of Umbrella, was practically dragging him along, mumbling to himself incomprehensively.

Another man walked beside him, and through his blurry vision Chris could just make out the outline of a blond being carried in him arms.

Jill.

Chris closed his eyes as the memories of his former partner buzzed in his brain, making it even harder to focus on remaining awake. At one point in time, they had been close friends, excellent partners, and there had been the chance, then, for something more…

But their military duty came first, and that 'something' had never happened.

Maybe it had been for the best. But that did not mean he didn't still care.

Eyes hidden beneath the dark veils of their lids, he could feel exhaustion catching up to him once again. He just wanted to sleep…

And he would have, if the man carrying him hadn't not-so-gently lowered him onto a cold metal table with an irritated grunt.

Then he smelled it…spice and salt-water…

His eyes creaked open and Alice's face was hovering over his.

"Chris? Can you hear me?" Her voice was loud, and he wasn't sure if it was because she was so close or if she was actually yelling to get his attention.

But now his headache was unbearable.

"Yeah, yeah I hear you….lower the volume a bit okay? I feel like I've been hit by a truck….made of bullets and psychic energy…." His mumbled response was meant to be funny….but as soon as he said it he knew it sounded all too sarcastic.

Not to mention accusing.

He saw Alice's eyes narrow a bit before lowering away from his.

"Uh, sorry…I didn't mean to sound…like an asshole. Head's just killing me. I'll uh…shut up…" He could barely think long enough to make out the apology, but even through the throbbing in his head he could formulate a realization that made his eyes widen.

A woman had just put him on a guilt-trip.

By just looking at him a certain way.

That had never happened before.

Alice was fast becoming the most intriguing-slash-confusing person he'd ever met.

And as his still blurry vision took in the flash of a small needle and thread in her hand, he wondered if she was about to exact revenge for his smartass comment under the guise of stitching up his arm.

"Please tell me you've got some lidocaine."

* * *

I'm sorry if I made Chris into a bit of a jerk here, but I tried to imagine how I would feel if I'd been shot and was suffering a migraine brought on by blood-loss and psychic aftermath. Add confusion (this chick is PSYCHIC?) and emotional uncertainty? Yeah, I'd be a lil irritable. Dont worry, he'll be back to his quiet, charming, adorable, kissable...um...you get it. ;) Soon. LOL


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